Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old implicated in the fatal shooting of conservative political advocate Charlie Kirk, made his initial in-person court appearance following his arrest.

During the proceedings, Robinson was dressed in a light blue shirt paired with a striped tie and khaki pants, and he was observed conversing with his legal team.

The charges against Robinson include aggravated murder, illegal use of a firearm, obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and committing a violent act in the presence of a child.

As of now, Robinson has not submitted a plea in response to these accusations.

Robinson turned himself in to authorities on September 11, one day after the incident, having previously attended court hearings via video or audio link.

The hearing in Utah on Thursday (Friday AEDT) focused on issues of transparency and public accessibility to the case.

The issues stem from an October 24 hearing, which was closed to the public, about courtroom security, media coverage and Robinson’s ability to wear civilian clothing.

Media organisations have requested a transcript of that hearing, but lawyers for Robinson and for the state of Utah have proposed certain redactions to the transcript.

On Thursday, the judge closed the first part of the hearing to the public in order to freely discuss what should or should not be sealed. Other parts of the hearing will be open to the public.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has pushed for the case to be open to the public, in part to cut down on what she has called conspiracy theories about his death.

“We deserve to have cameras in there,” she told Fox News last month. “Why not be transparent?”

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was known for his brash conservative views on hot-button partisan issues and his willingness to debate his liberal opponents, turning those arguments into content for millions of engaged followers online.

He was fatally shot on September 10 while he spoke at an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Orem as part of his “The American Comeback” tour of college campuses.

Investigators on scene suspected the fatal shot came from a sniper on a nearby roof, and police soon released a photo from surveillance video of the suspect and asked for the public’s help in identifying him.

A charging document laid out the key evidence against Robinson, including DNA on the suspected murder weapon and a confession.

A bolt-action rifle, towel, a used cartridge casing and three unused cartridges were discovered in a wooded area near the crime scene, and DNA on several of those items were consistent with Robinson’s, according to the document. The cartridges were engraved with phrases from internet memes and video games.

The following day, Robinson, his parents and a family friend went to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office to turn himself in, the document states. His parents had recognised their son from the surveillance photo, it said.

In texts to his roommate and romantic partner, “a biological male who was transitioning genders,” Robinson appeared to confess to the killing, according to the document.

“I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can’t be negotiated out,” Robinson wrote of his motive.

Robinson’s mother told investigators her son had become “more political” and “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented” over the last year, according to the document.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty in his case.